Mad woman(?) on M4 today

thalia_13

I was driving to work today on M4 was in overtaking lane but well behind a 99 wh polo, when I noticed the car in front was braking alot and the driver was gesturing and shaking fist etc. I was a fair bit behind her now, enough that when she was jamming on frequently I did not need to brake myself. She then got a biro and started waving it in the rear view mirror and gave the finger a few times.. Now as I said I was a fair bit back, I was not even at the speed limit due to traffic getting heavy near Celbridge interchange, and I only noticed her acting like this as I was about to get back into the driving lane.
I was near adjacent to her then, thats when I realised it was a woman, and she sped up well above the limit and sat on the a*se of car that had been in front of her all along. She did continue the whole braking erratically whilst I was in the other lane too, waiting to get into slip road to leave.

Now this is where I am confused, I was well behind her, I was practically at my exit at this stage anyways so was in no rush, she had loads of cars in front her in the lane, so had I decided to miss my exit and take a spin in the overtaking lane, I still would have gone nowhere. I am just really annoyed now, I am a really careful driver, I never beep or flash people when they are hogging overtaking lane or doing anything dangerous, I think its more distracting than their initial behaviour.....

If she does ring the gardai now, I dont know if it is about me or the car in front of her, and if she does ring saying whatever she says (and I know I was not driving up her a*se, I always keep my distance esp. on motorways), will I get in trouble?? I know its sounds daft worrying, but for some reason the way she was acting and gesturing, it kinda scared me. The funny thing is I know I was not tailgating, or flashing or beeping or doing anything to p*ss her off, I was just waiting for opening in driving lane......

TwoShedsJackson

Forget about it, it's the word of some mad old bat against you, and if there was no actual accident or damaged caused, the Gardai will write her off as a nutter when/if she rings them.

thalia_13

Thanks Twoshedsjackson, god knows why but it really freaked me out, and I normally just laugh off incidents like that, I think her driving and behaviour was so erratic..

Andrewf20

Ive seen this before for no reason. Dont worry about it.

milltown

Don't sweat it. If you were far enough back that you didn't have to brake while she was on and off the brakes she'd be some woman to read and note your reg backwards in her rear view mirror.

littlejukka

i nearly rear-ended a guy on the M1 heading in to dublin one afternoon. he pulled in front of me as i went past him doing 120, he was at 100-110 or so, behind another car in the inside lane. i saw him glance up as i slammed on my brakes when he took position in the outside lane, first he saw of me was my bumper 3 feet from his.

that was grand, i slowed, he pulled off and went back to the inside lane, so i got up to 120 again and went past him and a couple of other cars that were at 100 or so. 20 seconds later he's 3 feet off my bumper (there were no cars in the inside lane at this stage and i was attempting to pull left in to it) then he swerved in to undertake me, shot past me, slowed again and forced me to undertake him, then sat on my bumper again before veering off an exit ramp. proper nutter.

Tea drinker

Yeah you meet some mad ones out there.

I was tailgated by a guy in a black merc while driving from foster ave to clonskeagh. He was right up me hole and I was doing the speed limit.
I turned in just up the road at my estate (this has to be done slow enough because it's sorta blind and heaving with kids) and the guy actually stops and starts gesticulating at me. I gesticulate back.
I have to say I actually looked at the gearstick thought about ramming it in first, and then into him, then (instead) intake of breath and drove off.
I really could have rammed him as I had a old audi 80 at the time which I wouldn't at all mind writing off. :mad:
My question: If he was such a fantastic driver in such a wonderful car, why didn't he overtake rather than tailgate?